Here's the abstract of the seminar I'm attending: Through its development as an independent nation over the past 45 years, Botswana has been a leader among African nations in designing effective and thoughtful public health policy. Proactive efforts by the government, particularly the Ministry of Health to provide pioneering treatments, research, and education to its people is inspirational and sets the country apart as a model of success in the public health realm. However, in the face of these efforts lie great challenges. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has hit Botswana hard, and this seminar will look at how the scourge has had devastating effects on every corner of society. Aside from HIV/AIDS, which is arguably Botswana’s most pressing public health threat, other dimensions of the public health story will be explored including women’s health issues, healthcare delivery ... read more

I'll be heading to Africa next week. I've been three times before--once to Egypt for a week or so with a tour group from Israel, once to Egypt for a day, and once to Tunisia for a day. I've never been to non-Mediterranean Africa, and I've never been to the Southern hemisphere. I'll be attending a seminar on public health in Botswana. The emphasis is on HIV/AIDS and public policy, but other topics tentatively include adolescent substance use and women's health rights. It should be engrossing. And I do hope to see some birds. It's winter in Botswana, but I'm as interested in round-the-year nuisance birds like crows as in anything else, so I should have a good time.... read more

A map pin in South Korea, that is. This is my first visit. After an easy but exhaust- and grit-filled tuk-tuk ride to the airport in Phnom Penh, I was able to check in immediately and go upstairs to the comfy chairs. Those of you aware of my craving for chocolate last night should know that I got neither the chocolate linga (lingam) nor the chocolates shaped like the big stone faces from the Angkor Wat temple area. Instead I had a small, lackluster muffin that was more or less sufficient to hold me until Seattle. The flight to Seoul was fine, though I didn't sleep much, or well. Breakfast was either a nasty omelette with grey-green overcooked broccoli, which I declined, or a disposable plastic tub (similar to the ones tofu comes in), heated, full ... read more

Up at 6:00, the last two mangoes taken care of, and at 8:00 out with Sitha from SADP to go to the Mat Shop. My spouse and other relatives, please note: I declined to ride on her motorbike with no helmet and insisted on a tuk-tuk instead. I've been a passenger on motorcycles twice; the first time it tipped over and the second, it tipped over. Conclusion: I tip over motorcycles when I am a passenger. Collateral reasoning: I will be paying for all the information I stuffed into my brain until I'm old. I want to be alive to see that happen. I'm sure Sitha is a very proficient driver, but I don't want to travel in Phnom Penh on a 2-wheeled conveyance, so a tuk-tuk it was. We had fun at the Mat Shop, ... read more

I worked very hard today so I'm eating a full dinner: Fresh spring rolls, caramelized pork and pomelo salad with soy ginger dressing, fruit salad, and chai. I'll break the $10 barrier! I went to sleep early last night with the plan to get 9 hours' sleep, then get up at 5:00 AM and go over my materials for the psychological assessment talk at Royal University of Phnom Penh. This was a bit tricky since I still hadn't heard what topic they wanted me to teach. At about 6:00 ate two of the absolutely exquisite mangoes I received yesterday plus a brioche I'd cleverly bought the night before. My guesthouse serves breakfast at 7:30 and so far I've only been there once by that time. I walked to the closest main road and caught a tuk-tuk ... read more